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Zac Kirchner, left, of Boyle County and Henry Pennington of Danville battle for control of the ball during the first half Thursday.

Isabella Wade, left, of Boyle County and Madeline Clark of Danville race to the ball during the first half Thursday.

Reagan Britt (7) of Boyle County pushes the ball forward as Boyle’s Claire Combs (32) and Danville’s Maya Wade (14) move in during the first half Thursday.

John Mack, left, and Zac Kirchner of Boyle County converge on Danville’s Jonathan Hernandez as he tries to play the ball during the first half Thursday.

Maximus Kilby (7) of Boyle County celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half Thursday.

Emma Grome (center) and Brooke Bultema (8) knew each other in high school and have developed a special chemistry at UK. (Photo by Vicky Graff)

A is for opportunity.

That wouldn’t fly on a spelling test, but it will be the case for two local soccer teams competing for in-season championships this weekend.

The Boyle County girls are in the Kentucky 2A Championships statewide tournament for the first time, and the Danville boys are returning to the statewide stage at the All “A” Classic for the first time in a long time.

It’s a new experience for almost everyone involved, and the coaches of the two teams want it to be a good experience both this weekend and down the road.

“I just want the kids to enjoy it and realize that they’re not playing for some local tournament, they’re playing for a 2A state championship,” Boyle coach Brian Deem said. “This is something that they need to take very seriously and take pride in. I think my kids are locked in and recognize the opportunity at hand.”

Danville coach Brent Beauman said it’s an opportunity for the Admirals as well.

“This is a great opportunity for us to get a postseason feel and earn more chances to take the field with our teammates,” Beauman said. “This is such a great group of seniors who are cherishing each moment together.”

Danville is an old hand at these in-season tournaments, with 12 appearances in the eight-team All “A” tourney, five trips to the semifinals and two runner-up trophies, but it’s the Admirals’ first appearance since 2018, when assistant coach Tres Walker was a senior.

“Im am sure the boys get tired of hearing stories about the past teams, and after 21 years here I have some to tell,” Beauman said. “I think it is important to understand your history and how much work so many have put into DHS soccer, but I am excited for this team to create their path and leave their mark on our program.”

Both teams will play Saturday in their respective tournaments, Boyle in Owensboro and Danville in Louisville.

Danville (9-3) is one of eight teams in the boys All “A” tournament for the state’s smallest schools. The Admirals will play Louisville Holy Cross in their quarterfinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday at Louisville Collegiate.

If they win, they will play a semifinal at 8 p.m. Saturday against Bishop Brossart or Collegiate for a berth in the 1 p.m. Sunday championship game.

Boyle (10-3-1) advanced to the semifinals of the 2A tourney, which is open to what are effectively mid-sized schools, with a semi-state win over Murray last Saturday. The Lady Rebels will face Johnson Central at 1 p.m. Saturday at Apollo.

A win Saturday would put the Rebels into the noon Sunday championship game against Christian Academy of Louisville or Estill County.

Boyle’s current four-game winning streak includes its 3-0 win over Murray and a 1-0 victory over No. 15 duPont Manual on Monday, both of which were part of a stretch of six games in 10 days.

Ellery Taylor scored all three of the Lady Rebels’ goals against Murray, and Addison Hazlett had the only goal in the Manual game.

“I knew (that) was going to be a tough game,” Deem said of the Manual game. “I want us to be able to have to compete, win a big game and have to come back and play a tough team to see if we can forget about the game in the past and get our minds focused. And I thought our kids did a fantastic job. They showed great courage and we showed great leadership and togetherness.”

Danville took a four-game winning streak into a home game Thursday against Western Hills that included their 2-1 shootout victory over Frankfort in their All “A” sectional game Sept. 7.

Abel Goodwin scored the only goal for the Admirals against Frankfort before they won 3-2 on penalty kicks.

“Frankfort was a good team that challenged us for 80-plus minutes,” Beauman said. “I know how much the boys want to win. I noticed that the drive for perfection was clouding their enjoyment of the game which in turn was causing poor performance. I told them to be great and make their teammates great and embrace how lucky we are to get another chance to play this game we love with our best friends. It was that grit and attitude that allowed us to win our second shootout of the tournament.”

Danville also defeated Somerset on penalty kicks in its All “A” regional.

Both the Boyle and Danville coaches are confident that their teams’ experiences in these tournaments will help them next month in their postseason playoffs.

“It is great to have a tournament like this in the middle of the season. It gives everyone a taste of what happens in the postseason,” Beauman said.

“It’s a great idea, no different than the All ‘A,’ to allow some of these schools to be able to play in their class and then still have an opportunity to play at the end of the year for the KHSAA state championship,” Deem said.

For the moment, though, they’re focused on the championships that are within their reach this weekend.

“We will be ready, focus on our strengths and hope for the best,” Beauman said. “We have made great strides since the season started, but I believe we haven’t played our best yet. We will continue to use every game, practice, and touch on the ball as an opportunity to improve as a team.”

Deem said Boyle will try to push the pace as it typically does.

“I think that’s one of the keys that is important for our success. We’ve got to play fast,” he said. “I think we have speed, so we have to recognize when to use it.”

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